Hulu Taken Off Auction Block

In a behavior more reminiscent of Larry, Moe, Curly, three corporate titans are clashing over what to do with their jointly owned subsidiary, Hulu.

The streaming video service jointly owned by three major entertainment-related conglomerates, Disney, News Corp., and Comcast will not be sold as originally planned.

The report from Bloomberg Businessweek is that Hulu's free section, which is supported by advertising dollars is a profitable venture, while its $7.99-per-month pay service operates at a loss. However, Hulu does expect the service to be operating profitably within 18 months.

This is It is the second time that Hulu was looped and pulled off the market by its three indecisive corporate owners.

Everything about this potential sale has been awkward. The company was on the block because two of its owners, Disney and News Corp., couldn’t agree on how to run it. The third owner, Comcast, is required by law to be a silent partner, and itwasn’t clear whether Comcast would sellits stake during any sale.